Hot glass, especially when formed into various shapes in the manufacture of glass containers, is susceptible to being damaged by contact with glass processing equipment. Most of the equipment with which hot glass comes in contact in the hot end process area of the glass container industry during the process of manufacturing containers such as glass bottles is fabricated from metallic materials such as steel. Recently, the utilization of non-metallic contact materials such as graphite at various points in the hot end process area has, to a large extent, eliminated this problem. Damage to containers being manufactured has been greatly reduced by the use of various non-metallic contact materials.
Such contact materials generally require periodic replacement. Because of the need for replacement and because the typical contact material is not easily machined without using special equipment, it has been found expedient to design fixtures for holding such contact materials securely during use and from which the contact materials can be easily removed when replacement is required.